Pakistani soldiers die in blast

Six Pakistani soldiers have been killed in a bomb blast in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials say.

At least 10 soldiers have been wounded in the incident which took place in south Waziristan.

Officials say a truck carrying the soldiers hit an improvised explosive device on a dirt road and then fell into a ravine.

Thousands of Pakistani troops have been deployed in the region to flush out suspected al-Qaeda militants.

The BBC's Haroon Rashid says the blast took place in the Mehsud tribal belt in the Sholam area, east of Wana the main town in south Waziristan.

An official blamed "miscreants" - a word used for militants resisting the Pakistani crackdown on foreign fighters linked to al-Qaeda.

"There was an explosion and after that the vehicle went out of control and overturned," military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan is quoted as saying by Reuters.

In March, Pakistani forces began large-scale operations against suspected al-Qaeda militants and tribesmen supporting them in South Waziristan.

The army believes hundreds of foreign Islamic militants, including Arabs, Afghans and Central Asians, are holed up in South Waziristan.